Magician rivalries: Why does it happen?

The biggest difference between ChrissAngel and David Blaine is showmanship vs. (as a local movie-rental employee said) actual magic.  ChrissAngel is all about his image, and making relatively un-impressive tricks into huge showcases (ie. hanging from hooks from a helicopter, making huge spiders appear in peoples hats, staged "mind readings", dressing like a fool).  Whereas David Blaine does more "real magic".  He doesn't dress up funny or use lots of "smoke and mirrors" (figuratively). Everything he does is stripped down, done in plain view right in front of your face and is very impressive (living underwater for a week, absorbing a quarter into his skin and following it down his arm, INSANE card tricks).  I've seen ChrissAngel do some slight of hand magic, and it was fairly painful to watch and spot him palm poker chips, where Blaine blows my mind time after time.  I have to say Blaine is the better magician, but who can honeslty say they haven't been entertained by the occasional episode of MINDFREAK!!!

You have a point there, Special K. Although his tricks are obvious, CrissAngel can be pretty entertaining. Yelling out MINDFREAK gets me every time.

MINDFREAK!!!!  I totally agree that screaming MINDFREAK! and watching CrissAngel is entertaining.  Blaine is the "better" magician, but being a magician is half-showmanship anyhow.  CrissAngel won Magician of the year I think....and if you compare him to other magicians (other than Blaine) he is WAYYYYYYYYYY better.  Think of those top-hat, coat-tail magicians at the circus...they suck....i hate doves!!!  At least make a monkey disappear!   

On a separate note, i pulled my own MINDFREAK! at a xmas dinner:  somehow a whole plate of food flipped off this crowded round table and landed on my chest and lap (i was wearing fairly nice shirt, pants, and tie), and within about 3 seconds I managed to scoop all the food (and gravy) back on the plate and up on the table, and somehow not have any evidence of food staining on my clothes.  Everyone at the table was still in shock, and one guy just said, "how the hell did you just do that?"....i calmly replied, "I've been watching a lot of MINDFREAK lately."    I think that you can now safely use that expression in everyday life...saves a lot of explanation.

True. I use the term "MINDFREAK!!!" at least once per day. It's a comical time-saver for sure.

I used to belong to the Society of American Magicians.  I think my dad still does.  My father used to perform magic shows to supplement his income to support his 8 children!  His hands aren't as nimble as they used to be but he has amassed a collection of magic props like you wouldn't believe.  Check out Magic Goodies just to see a few.  eBay has a thriving auction community around magic props.

I trained with a magician one summer, trying to follow in my father's footsteps and I did well when I performed for the senior citizen crowd, they were easy to please.  I fell apart doing kids' birthday parties and put down my wand.  I still enjoy magic but don't practice anymore.  I'm a lapsed magician!

I saw David Copperfield last year in Boston and he was pretty good though I expected more.  I saw many magic shows when I was a kid and I think I had a child's view still of what to expect.  I wasn't wowwed... I was too analytical and trying to figure out the trick instead of just enjoying the show.  I have a DVD, David Copperfield Illusion, and it's pretty awesome.  It has some of his most spectacular illusions.

I loved the Illusionist because the movie was just that, an Illusion that drew me in.  I wasn't as keen on the Prestige.  It was good but it didn't have the flow and feel of what it described, the Pledge, the Turn and then the Prestige.

Hm, I haven't seen the Illusionist yet but I heard the Prestige was better, I'll have to check it out. That's pretty awesome that you know some magic, do you pull it out every now and then?

Adding once again to the "Life Imitates Art" canon:
Just as in The Prestige, CrissAngel and David Blaine vie on Cable for who can be the most self-aggrandizing asshole. I'll take the dark humor of Penn & Teller anytime; at least they seem to grasp that magic and magicians are fundamentally ridiculous.

I don't perform any magic anymore but do know a couple of parlor tricks that I pull out of my sleeve.  The drunker the audience the better -- less likely to see my slip ups! 

I think it's a matter of preference on the movies.  I just felt a more emotional pull with the Illusionist than with the Prestige.  I just started reading the Prestige which I was told was nothing like the movie.  Should be interesting.

I didn't know there was a book, hm, maybe I'll check it out. Parlor tricks are cool, man. I think everyone should know a few for when the conversation gets a little dull or there are kids around.